For me, the primary qualities of a good eating apple are first and foremost being CRISP (not soft/mealy), sweet but not cloying, refreshingly tart, aromatic, and with a skin that's not too bitter.

My favorites, in descending order, are therefore: Honeycrisp, Jazz (new), Jonah Gold, Fuji, Gala. Out of all of those, Gala & Fuji seem to be the most consistently available in my region. My other top favorite, which I rarely get to enjoy, are the wonderfully crisp and aromatic mccoun ... but they have two annoying quirks that make them extremely problematic. First is that they lose their precious crispness very quicky, after being picked, and turn mealy. The other is that they closely resemble macintosh in size and appearance, and as a result a lot of less scrupulous produce managers and farmstands will substitute macs for them, and charge a premium price.

p.s. My favorite apples for cidermaking are completely different than the above list, because different qualities are needed for cider instead of eating apples. That's fodder for a separate post however.

ΦΒΚ - Φιλοσοφία Βίου Κυβερνήτης ("Love of learning is the guide of life")

I'm a bit spoilt because there's a place near us with an orchard that grows rare and heritage varieties of apples, which they sell at the local farmers' market, so I get to try a lot on unusual ones.

I like Red Devils when they're in season, and likewise Russett Egremonts.

There's also an apple tree outside my block of flats that's grown wild. No idea what variety it is, but it produced really good cooking apples, so I always grab a load, make apple pies and things (and also stew and freeze some for later). They're in season from about September until into the New Year normally.

Honey Crisps... For sure. REAL ones though... not the imported hybrid crap with no flavor that some stores have. We use to have a Coop in Portland that had them when they came in season and lost them when they went out. Now THOSE were some delicious damn apples. LEAST favorite.... Red Delicious, which are Red... sure, but are so watered down and genetically modified to be "perfect" they lack anything resembling flavor.

My favorite thing to do with baking apples, red or green, is make them into a compote with some cinnamon and bake them in tarts or puff pastry. So delicious out of the oven. Like mini apple pies.

The circumstances of the world are continually changing, and the opinions of men change also; and as government is for the living, and not for the dead, it is the living only that has any right in it. That which may be thought right and found convenient in one age, may be thought wrong and found inconvenient in another. In such cases, who is to decide, the living, or the dead? -Thomas Paine

We have three apple trees in the back garden. I can't remember what varieties they are, but it doesn't really matter at the moment as they are in their first season and aren't allowed to grow fruit. It annoyed me to have to take the tiny little apple-lets off as soon as they appeared, but you've got to let the tree use its energy in growing roots and consolidating itself, rather than growing fruit to further expand my waistline.

We also had a blueberry potato plant this year. The pot had potatoes in it last year, Mrs H. thought she had cleared them out before she put the blueberry bush into the pot this year.

Apparently not.

The blueberries were nice, as were the potatoes.

"I don't mean to sound bitter, cynical and cruel; but I am, so that's how it comes out." Bill Hicks."One should not believe everything one reads on the internet." Abraham Lincoln"Are you OK?" daftbeaker (<-- very good question, people should ask it more often.)

Hahahaha, Bluetatoes. A most pleasant surprise! Closest we have to that is a Limon tree. Lemon tree on the left, Lime tree on the right, and in the middle its Yellow skinned limes, and Green skinned lemons. It's a crap shoot which you get until you cut 'em open.

The circumstances of the world are continually changing, and the opinions of men change also; and as government is for the living, and not for the dead, it is the living only that has any right in it. That which may be thought right and found convenient in one age, may be thought wrong and found inconvenient in another. In such cases, who is to decide, the living, or the dead? -Thomas Paine

ChowMein wrote:I like all the sweet apples mostly , granny smiths are okay but I dont like the sourness much. My least favorite apple for munching is the macintosh , but i like them in pies .

I'm not a fan of Mac Reds either, but I make a pie-flan thing with them, and they're the best variety I've found so far.

Whack the oven on full blast.Roll out a circle of shortcrust pastry to thinly cover a pizza stone / great big pie tin.Thinly slice (using a mandolin is the best) a couple of Mac Reds, and arrange them in concentric circles on the base, all arty and shit.Warm a spoonful of apricot jam with a couple of spoonfuls of water. While you're doing this, sprinkle some ground cinnamon on the apples.Glaze the apples with the apricot jam.Stick the thing in the oven until the pastry at the edges is beyond golden, mostly brown, but not quite black.

Serve it cold. Or hot. Hell, do what you like with it, who am I to tell you how to eat it?

"I don't mean to sound bitter, cynical and cruel; but I am, so that's how it comes out." Bill Hicks."One should not believe everything one reads on the internet." Abraham Lincoln"Are you OK?" daftbeaker (<-- very good question, people should ask it more often.)

I'm a self confessed egg slut ... I love eggs every which way, and I'm always tinkering with new ways to enjoy them.

Today's version: the "crispy over easy jalapeno egg"

Directions:> Halve, core, and thinly slice crosswise 1 ripe hot freshly picked jalapeno (green or red).> Heat an 8" nonstick pan and melt a small knob of sweet butter in it.> Add the jalapenos, stirfry on med for 1-2 mins until the butter begins to brown.> Add 1/4 cup tap water, raise heat to high, and simmer until pan runs dry and the peppers have begun to color (this also tenderizes them).> Tilt pan slightly so all the butter and peppers slide to one side, and flatten the pan again. > Spread the peppers into an oval and crack an egg over them (careful to keep the yolk intact), fully covering them, and sprinkle with salt.> Cook sunny side up until the white is nearly done and the edges are browned and crispy, then spray the yolk lightly with oil and gently flip it over with a flick of the pan.> Cook 10-15 seconds more on the yolk side, then flip the egg back right sideup and serve immediately.

Fast and easy.

ΦΒΚ - Φιλοσοφία Βίου Κυβερνήτης ("Love of learning is the guide of life")

Poached eggs with green Tabasco and black pepper on toast is just about perfect for me. How long do you poach your eggs? Until your toast is done. Serve with an espresso (in the morning) or a short bloody mary (late at night).

"I don't mean to sound bitter, cynical and cruel; but I am, so that's how it comes out." Bill Hicks."One should not believe everything one reads on the internet." Abraham Lincoln"Are you OK?" daftbeaker (<-- very good question, people should ask it more often.)

I likes me eggs fried (yolk punctured early) and served on a garlic bagel with a slice of cheddar and many slices of un-cored jalapeno pepper. (Cored hot peppers? Really??) If the wife is away, I'll switch out the cheddar for some lovely gorgonzola.

Somewhere in these threads I posted the recipe for my dreaded Burritos of Doom. I'll be back with the link if I can find it.

"Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens."("Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain.")-- Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805)Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.-- Philip K DickWhat happens when all the renewable energy runs out?-- Victoria AylingEnglish isn't much of a language for swearing. When I studied Ancient Greek I was delighted to discover a single word - Rhaphanidosthai - which translates roughly as "Be thou thrust up the fundament with a radish for adultery."